Separator flap assembly

ABSTRACT

A TOILET ASSEMBLY INVOLVES A FLUSHING BOWL AND A SEPARATOR FLAP PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AND SPRING-URGED NEAR THE LOWER END OF SUCH BOWL TO NORMALLY BLOCK THE VIEW INTO A LOWER, BOTTOM TANK. THE FLAP IS DISPLACEABLE BY FLUSHING LIQUID TO AN OPEN POSITION DURING NORMAL FLUSHING OPERATIONS AND THE SPRING THEN RETURNS THE FLAP AUTOMATICALLY   TO CLOSED POSITION. FOR CLEANING AND OTHER PURPOSES THE FLAP MAY BE MOVED TO AN EXTREME OPEN POSITION, WHEREIN IT IS AUTOMATICALLY MAINTAINED IN A LATCHED CONDITION BY A SPECIALLY CONSTRUCTED SPRING WHICH, IN ADDITION, PERFORMS THE OTHER FUNCTIONS MENTIONED ABOVE.

March 2, 1971 CARLSON E'I'AL 3,566,418

- SEPARATOR FLAP ASSEMBLY Y Filed May 27, 1968 M 34A 745 34c- 6 01.0 we 4 K 0 4 /15 a r r02 /v yJ.

United States Patent 3,566,418 SEPARATOR FLAP ASSEMBLY Kenneth B. Carlson, Granada Hills, and Norbert J.

Palmer, Playa del Rey, Calif., assignors to Monogram Industries, Inc., Venice, Calif.

Filed May 27, 1968, Ser. No. 732,432 Int. Cl. E03d 11/10 U.S. Cl. 4-84 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toilet assembly involves a flushing bowl and a separator flap pivotally mounted and spring-urged near the lower end of such bowl to normally block the view into a lower, bottom tank. The flap is displaceable by flushing liquid to an open position during normal flushing opera tions and the spring then returns the flap automatically to closed position. For cleaning and other purposes the flap may be moved to an extreme open position, wherein it is automatically maintained in a latched condition by a specially constructed spring which, in addition, performs the other functions mentioned above.

The present invention relates to an improved toilet construction which is particularly useful in, for example, aircraft, trailers or other vehicles wherein it is desired to provide some bafile or flap between the flushing bowl and a lower bottom tank for the purposes of preventing direct view into the tank, preventing splash, or functioning as a sound transmission bafile on those toilets wherein multiple bowls share a common tank. Preferably, the bafie or flap should give the appearance of an open configured separation, when viewed from above.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a novel separator or baffie-flap which is simple in construction and which allows the baffle-flap to be maintained in a fully open position for purposes of, for example, cleaning of and access to the bottom tank and in some cases also for providing a slosh battle.

Another specific object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement of this character using a specially constructed spring which provides for a simplicity in construction with a small number of .parts that are easily assembled for these multiple purposes.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. This invention itself, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in cross-section of an assembly embodying features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows in enlarged form a portion of the structure shown in FIG. 1 andis generally a view taken in the direction indicated by the arrows 2-2 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a view taken as indicated by the arrows 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view taken as indicated by the arrows 44 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view like FIG. 2 but of a modified construction;

FIG. 6 is yet an alternative embodiment of a latching member.

In the drawings, a preferred embodiment is illustrated which includes a movable separator or flap 10 having a general circular configuration with a drain slope. The flap 10 may be made of various materials including, for example, metal, plastic or rubber and is pivotally mounted with respect to the lower discharge end of a conven- "ice tional flush bowl 12 which is fastened to the top cover member 14 of a conventional aircraft toilet tank 16. The flap 10 is provided with a generally concave contour so that when polished, the illusion of an open-type separator or bafile is created.

The flush bowl 12 has secured thereto a conventional annular flange member 12A and the assembly 12, 12A is secured to the tank cover member 14 with an annular sealing gasket 18 therebetween.

Secured to the lower portion of bowl 12 as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 are a pair of spaced bracket members 20, 22 each formed with a circular portion 20A, 22A respectively through which a circular shaft 24 extends. However, this construction, while employed in the preferred embodiment, is a matter of design choice and other arrangements can be provided for hingingly mounting the flap 10 with respect to the bowl 12 and the tank 16.

As shown, this shaft 24 extends also through a pair of circular bracket members 28, 30 which are secured to fla-p 10 and which are also secured to shaft 24. A generally flat tapered strip 32 may also be secured to flap 10 so as to provide a bearing surface for one end of a specially wound prestressed coil spring 34 disposed betwe n circular bracket portions 20A, 22A and also to provide a wear-resistant edge for engagement with the spring loop portion 34D as described later.

Spring 34 has a central helical portion 34A extending around shaft 24 and an end portion (which engages strip 32) of generally L-shaped configuration comprising a radially extending portion 343 and an axially extending portion 34C. The other end of spring 34 is of particular special construction and includes a loop portion 34D on an intermediate radially extending portion 34E which spaces the loop portion 34D away from the helical portion 34A in both the radial and longitudinal directions and which bears against the bowl flange portion 12A.

The loop 34D as in FIG. 2 may be of generally triangular configuration with two legs 34G, 34H thereof forming cam surfaces and meeting to define an apex portion 34K which is engageable with the strip 32 on flap 10 when and as the flap 10 is moved from its closed full line position in FIG. 2 to its dotted line position. Instead of being triangular configuration as shown in FIG. 2, the loop 34D in alternative embodiments may be of generally circular configuration as in the modified loop construction 134D in FIG. 5 or loop 234D in FIG. 6.

In operation of the arrangement shown in FIGS. l-4 the flap 10 is normally held in its closed condition shown in full lines by the prestressed coil spring 34 having one of its ends bearing on plate 32 on flap 10 and the other one of its intermediate end portions 34E bearing on the bowl assembly 12, 12A. To prevent rattle and provide stability, a bumper 50 of rubber or other material may be mounted on the lower edge of the assembly 12.

During normal flushing operations, the contouring of the flap 10 promotes drainage and the weight of matter to be stored in the tank 16, which may be a flushing liquid on flap 10 is sufiicient to overcome the action of spring 34, whereupon the flap 10 moves to an open position to allow passage of such flushing liquid. After the flushing operation, the spring 34 returns the flap 10 to its closed condition shown in FIG. 1.

It will be appreciated that the flap 10 is contoured and shaped so as to allow some drainage even in its held closed condition or to normally provide a good odor seal and water trap. Further, the contouring and shaping is accomplished with the additional aim of providing to an observer immediately above the flap 10, the illusion that the flap is part of an open system.

In those instances where it is desired to maintain the flap in a fully opened and latched condition as, for

example, for purposes of cleaning or in stationary or static installations, or under circumstances where it is desired to use the flap as a vertically extending slosh bafile, the flap 10 is moved manually against the action spring 34 so that the plate and flap assembly 32, 10 move past the apex portion 34K of the resiliently mounted loop 34D. In such movement the plate 32 engages the leg 346 and moves the loop 34D upwardly out of the path of movement of plate 32 and then the loop 34D returns to its normal position shown in full lines in FIG. 2 to retain the flap 10 in its open or dotted line position shown in FIG. 2. To again close the flap 10, manual force is required to move the assembly 32, 10 past the apex 34K in which case the triangular leg portion 34H serves as a cam surface. A lesser force may be used to close the flap than to open it, particularly since during closing the intermediate portion 34E of the spring 34 is free to become disengaged from its normal engagement with the bowl assembly 12, 12A.

In the modification shown in FIG. 5, instead of the flap 10 being directly mounted on the bowl assembly 12, 12A as in FIG. 2 the same may be directly mounted at a lower position in the tank 16 on an added tubular support 60 which is retained by its annular flanged portion 60A on tank cover member 14.

In this case the intermediate spring portion 34E bears against support 60 and the movable end portion of spring 34 is now in the form of a circular loop 134D engageable with the flap assembly 32, 10 in the manner pre-. viously described whereby such assembly may be moved to and from its closed dotted line position shown in FIG. 5 by applying sufficient manual force to the assembly 10, 32 to cause'the spring loop 134D to move out of the path of movement of the assembly 10, 32.

An alternative spring loop 234D is illustrated in FIG. 6 and can be substituted for the triangular loop 34D of FIG. 2. Yet other embodiments will be apparent to the skilled designer.

We claim: 1

1. For use in combination with a tank having a cover member and a support mounted on the cover member and extending inwardly into the tank;

(a) a flap member, pivotably mounted with respect to the cover member at or near the inward end of the support for closing the access to the tank;

(b) pivoting means including a pivot pin and alignment apertures on said flap and the support connecting said flap member to the cover member; and

(c) prestressed biasing means mounted between said flap member and the cover member for maintaining said flap member in a normally closed position, said biasing means including a prestressed coil spring encircling said pin, said spring having a generally cylindrical portion encircling said pin and having one of its ends extending generally radially outwardly and bearing against said flap member, the other end of said spring having a loop portion formed therein which is spaced from said cylindrical portion by an intermediate radially extending portion, said intermediate portion bearing against the support, said loop portion being in the path of movement of an edge portion of the flap when and as it is moved to its fully open position and being cammed upwardly out of said path by said edge in continued movement toward said fully opened position, said loop portion being resiliently supported by said intermediate portion such that it automatically. returns to its downward position to releasably maintain said flap in a. latched fully open position.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said flap member has a dished, concave shape extending inwardly into the tank to provide the visual impression, when viewed from above, of an open-type separator.

3. A construction as set forth in claim 1, in which said support is a toilet flush bowl.

4. A construction as set forth in claim 2, in which said support is an auxiliary support extending down below a toilet flush bowl, said auxilliary support and toilet flush bowl being mounted on the tank cover member.

5. A construction as set forth in claim 1, in which said flap is of plastic material and has a metal portion mounted thereon for engagement with said loop portion.

6. A construction as set forth in claim 1, in which said loop portion has an apex portion contacted by said flap.

7. A construction as set forth in claim 1, in which said loop portion has a circular portion contacted by said flap.

8. A construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein a resilient bumper portion is interposed between said flap and an edge of the support, in the closed position of said flap.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,144,488 6/1915 Marsh 484 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,396 10/1899 Great Britain 16-l45 7,577 5/ 1915 Great Britain 484 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner R. I. SHER, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 16-145 

